Nearly all of Louisiana’s death row inmates asked Gov. John Bel Edwards to spare their lives and grant them clemency.
The request came Tuesday, June 13, where 51 applications were submitted to the Louisiana Board of Pardons and Committee on Parole to change their punishment from the death penalty to life imprisonment without the chance of parole.
Cecelia Kappel, the executive director of the Louisiana Capital Appeals Project, led a team of attorneys to submit the requests.
This comes after Gov. Edwards took a firm stance against the death penalty and called for lawmakers to abolish it back in April 2023.
“Given the Governor’s comments in his State of the State speech in April, there was an opportunity that we could not turn down,” said Kappel. “These cases don’t involve a situation where these people are ever going to walk free necessarily. They’re going to be put in the general prison population, and our prison system is completely capable of keeping everybody safe.”
However, opponents are starting to push back.
Attorney General and upcoming Louisiana gubernatorial candidate Jeff Landry issued a statement saying that his office will oppose every application.
“I oppose clemency for all of these offenders who were given valid death sentences by juries of their peers. My office will formally oppose their applications,” said Landry.
https://www.wafb.com/2023/06/14/nearly-all-louisianas-death-row-inmates-ask-gov-edwards-clemency/